Obama on Sequester: ‘The Longer These Cuts Are In Place, the Bigger the Impact Will Become’

By Andrew Johnson —
February 25, 2013

President Obama continued to warn of the sequester’s looming consequences while speaking to the National Governors Association this morning. “These impacts will not all be felt on day one, but rest assured the uncertainty is already having an effect,” he said, cautioning cuts to education, healthcare, transportation, and defense, among others. “The longer these cuts are in place, the bigger the impact will become,” Obama added, and encouraged governors to meet with their states’ delegations to push action on averting the sequester.

The president’s warning comes after he urged Republicans in Congress to address the sequester in his weekly address over the weekend. “[The sequester will] leave many families already stretched to the limit, scrambling to figure out what to do,” he said. “Are Republicans in Congress really willing to let these cuts fall on our kids’ schools and mental healthcare just to protect tax loopholes for corporate jet-owners?”